Date-Sweetened Teriyaki Sauce

I’ve had this sauce idea swimming around in my brain for quite some time, and I finally made it happen! Woo hoo! Actually, this recipe has been finalized for weeks, and I’ve been a slowpoke about getting it out into the world. Life, guys. It’s kicking my booty right now. It’s nothing major, just a lot of little things that stack up and seem big. Like, right now, as I type this, I am ergonomically challenged. I haven’t found “the perfect set-up” yet (if such a thing exists), so if it’s not my hip, it’s my lower back, or especially my neck and shoulders. And then, more recently, out of nowhere, plantar fasciitis. Gosh darn it to heck anyway, what’s up with this? So I’ve been limping all around my house and had to take break from Barre for a while (which is hurting me in other ways), and WHINE WHINE WHINE…sorry about that. My pity party is over now. Life is actually really awesome and this stuff is just, well, a pain. No biggie. Moving on. How are YOU doing? I seriously want to know, so please share if you feel led. 🙂 Let’s make date-sweetened teriyaki sauce! First, gather your ingredients.

Besides how yummy it is, my favorite part about this sauce is how dang easy it is to make. A rough chop of dates, ginger, and garlic, simmered with soy sauce, water, and rice vinegar, and then strained and thickened with cornstarch. AND, the pulp leftover from straining the dates, ginger, and garlic can be stored and re-used in other ways. I’m still tweaking it, but let’s just say a salad with a dressing featuring these flavors is coming. 😉

I’m totally teasing you with this one, but one way to use this sauce is tossed with crispy tofu and served along side some beautiful veggies, like this upcoming “rainbow rice” that’s not rice at all but has been gobbled up by my kiddos multiple times so it’s legit and you should be excited.

This one’s not a tease! These Winter Rolls are brand new and live and you should make them because it’s still Winter, folks, even though this crazy weather is getting me all confused. 50 degrees one day, 33 the next? I think we need some bright cheery flavors and amazing nutrition to help us cope. So here you go.

Ok, I’m off to assemble a desk from IKEA that I can crank up and down to the perfect height for my ergonomic needs. Apparently I’m high-maintenance, but maybe not quite THIS high-maintenance. Good golly, I love that movie.

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About Beth

Beth Hornback is a food photographer and recipe developer based in the Pacific Northwest. She never tires of snuggling with her two beautiful kids and owes piles of chocolate chip cookies to her husband, aka the most wonderful person she knows. Keep in touch with Beth on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Hi Beth, I just made your terriyaki sauce and loved it! I’m having to hold back from diving in as it is for a potluck tomorrow. I wanted to mention one tweak that worked great for me. I followed your recipe exactly, with the exception of the straining bit and the water and cornstarch. Instead, I just simmered the first six ingredients (I didn’t even chop up the dates, just halved them), then threw the whole thing in the kitchenaid. The results was a naturally thickened sauce that retains the natural fiber from the dates. Thanks for a great recipe!